Star Wars meets the Emperor
by dafyddkear
Summary: It is the height of the Great Crusade and the Imperium of Mankind seems unstoppable. But whilst en route to the planet Ullanor, the Emperor encounters an unforeseen delay. Thrown out of the warp in an unknown system, the forces of the Imperium must deal with the locals whilst trying to return to their own galaxy. But the Ruinous Powers are always watching and have something planned
1. Arrival

Journeying through the waves of the warp is dangerous for any vessel, even for the flagship of the Emperor of Mankind. Even now, at the height of his power, while the fleets of his sons stride the stars in mankind's conquest of the galaxy, he must always be on guard when in the warp. But even when on guard, even the Emperor can be outdone by the subtle manipulations of Tzeentch.

* * *

"Helm, brings us about, 50 degrees to starboard, gunners target the towers. Fire when ready," the commander ordered calmly, his stature and psychic presence ensuring immediate and effective obedience. Standing at over 14 foot tall, clad in shinning golden armour, the Emperor of Mankind watch patiently as his orders were carried out. He smiled as the ship shook slightly as the main battery spewed its explosive contingent into the blackness of space, sending it hurtling towards its targets. The enemy vessel disintegrated under the bombardment.

Watching the battle unfold before him, the Master of Mankind thought back to how they ended up in this situation.

* * *

The transition to realspace was an expected event for any warp-capable ship. But this transition was so violent that even the godlike being in command was thrown to the floor. Rising back to his feet the Emperor glanced around the cavernous command bridge of his flagship. All of the officers and servicemen had been thrown around, with many ending up dead, their life force seeping into the contours of the metal.

A console beeped to signal an incoming transmission and with a wave of his hand the Emperor accepted the call, the screen in front of him lit up to show the bald, scarred face of his favoured son, "Father," Horus acknowledged, "What in Terra was that?"

"I am unsure my son," the Emperor replied calmly, "But whatever it was has taken us a long way off course. I recognise none of the stars outside and I cannot see any known constellations. If I was to make an educated guess, I would say that we are no longer in our own galaxy."

Horus was shocked, "But father. What could cause such a thing?"

"The denizens of the warp are many, even I do not know of them all. But I firmly believe that one of them played a part in this. I know not of their plan or what they intended to happen, but I do know that they will take advantage of this and assail your brothers. I just hope they can withstand the onslaught."

"I trust my brothers father, they will stand firm. But I would rather be standing with them."

"So would I my son, so would I. Let us then brace ourselves and search for a way home."

By the time they had finished, the crew was back in position and ready to follow orders, with the dead having been replaced. Working quickly the crew managed to bring the ship back up to operational status and soon reports were coming in.

"Captain, what is the status of the ship?" asked the Emperor

"Crew losses heavy my Emperor, approximately 20% killed in the transition with another 15% injured and in the med bays. Despite this the ship will still run at at least 90% capacity. However I would recommend replacing the losses as soon as possible to maintain efficiency." replied the captain

"Understood, and what of the fleet?"

A new feminine voice spoke up, "The fleet is reporting similar my Emperor, most ships suffering around 20%, however some the transition was so violent that some ships lost more than 50% whilst others crashed into each other. Overall the fleet stands at 97% combat ready with 3% damaged or destroyed." The report was delivered quickly and calmly by the newly promoted Lieutenant Delia Kasr, she had been personally chosen for the position of first mate after the Emperor had witness her destroy an eldar battle group with only two dauntless class cruisers.

The emperor nodded, "Order the fleet to form up around us, Horus bring your ship alongside. We'll approach the nearby desert world, I'm sensing something on the surface and wish to investigate."

Even when badly damaged an Imperial battle fleet is enough to put fear into the hearts of any, but this was no ordinary battle group. This was the personal fleet of the Emperor of Mankind, previously en route to the front lines to counter an Ork WAAAGH on the planet of Ullanor, as such it consisted of the Emperor's personal flagship, the largest human ship to sail between the stars, the Bucephelus; the Gloriana class battleship, the Vengeful Spirit; at least 100 battleships of multiple classes; at least 5000 cruisers of various sizes; and an uncountable number of escort ships, the smallest on measuring 1600 metres long. As a result the solar system in which they had arrived was saturated with the glow of plasma drives.

Within the hour the Bucephelus and the Vengeful Spirit had pulled into a geostationary orbit above the desert world.

"I can sense something too father, it seems malevolent. I feel, anger, hate, rage, pain, and more all mixed up, it feels like the warp."

"That it does my son, but this is nowhere near the malevolence of the warp, it is but a mere echo," the Emperor replied as he turned to the captain, "Ready my shuttle, Valdor, bring your best and follow me."

"At once my Lord," came the stoic reply of Constantin Valdor, Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes.

With a nod, the Emperor of Mankind turned, and strode from the bridge, followed closely by Valdor and soon joined by nine other giants in golden armour.

As the dust stirred up by his arrival settled, the Emperor cast a gaze across the valley before him, the ruins caught his eye for many reason, the blend of stone and what looked like steel was interesting but what was more intriguing was the very different feelings in the warp from each of them. Every one radiated malevolence but at varying degrees, it seemed that the bigger ones seems to radiate more, with the biggest one at the other end radiating as much as a greater daemon of Khorne. He vowed to search the ruins for the source.

His thoughts were interrupted as another vessel broke the atmosphere, the profile of a Thunderhawk gliding smoothly down towards him before gently setting down. The ramp dropped and he smiled as he saw the form of his son approach through the dust.

Horus stopped before him and saluted, "Father."

"My son, it's good to see you face to face."

Horus smiled at the sign of humanity from his father, they were few and far between. He turned to the valley, "Well, someone used to live here at least. But I don't like the feeling coming from them."

"Neither do I my son, but we must investigate if we wish to understand where we are."

Crossing the valley was an interesting experience for them, as they passed each ruin a presence seemed to reach out to entice them or tempt them. But these were not the normal mortals that the presences were used to encountering, these were the greatest of humanities warriors. The heavily augmented minds and bodies of the Adeptus Astartes and Adeptus Custodes were impossible to tempt, especially when in such close proximity to the gene sires. But as they approached the largest temple, even the astartes began to sense the malevolence and wrongness that saturated the air.

The ruin towered above them, for anyone else the imposing structure would have driven them mad, but the Emperor was unaffected, having felt worse. Walking calmly, he approached the large steel doors that led into the temple, they were sealed shut and there seemed to be no way to open them. Reaching out with his psychic might, the Emperor grasped the doors with invisible hands, and pulled. The doors gave a futile groan as the steel was strained, before rushing apart and slamming into the wall, shattering upon impact.

Wind rushed passed them, the voices of a thousand trapped souls screaming at them as it passed. The Emperor focused on the now unsealed ruin and searched. Finding something he decided to venture in.

"Captain-General, form a perimeter, something may have been disturbed. Shoot only if necessary. Horus follow me."

"Yes my Lord,"

"Of course Father,"

As the Emperor and his son moved inwards, the contingent of Custodes and Luna Wolves began to spread out.

The corridors of the ruin were pitch black, cobwebs linked the walls, dust was thick on the floor, the air was foul, and the only sounds were the treading of boots and the rustling of wind. But beneath it all, in the waves of the immaterium, a force grew closer. Following the feeling, the Emperor and Horus went deeper and deeper into the complex.

Sooner than expected, the father and son emerged into a large cavern, the walls glowed a blood red, and malice oozed from the walls. Statues lined the cavern, all facing inwards towards a large sarcophagus. The sarcophagus itself radiated anger and hatred, the air was thick with tension as the Emperor and Horus approached. As they got close the presence seemed to explode in strength and a form appeared before them.

It glowed an unearthly blue, eyes shining red with hatred, "Who dares disturb the tomb of Tulak Hord, Greatest of the Sith and Master of Gathering Darkness?"

"Fascinating," said the Emperor, "It seems to be some sort of imprint of a soul, left behind after death."

"You dare ignore me," Tulak Hord boomed, his voice shaking the cavern around them, "Answer me or face my wrath."

"I dare," the Emperor answered serenely, "Because you are nothing, you are naught but a shadow, and echo of a man that once was. But even if you weren't, you are nothing compared to those I face on a daily basis. You are a man playing at being a god, but I know the truth, 'Sith', there are no gods, only daemons and monsters."

Rage spread across the apparitions face and the air grew thick, lightning crackled across the room "How dare you, let me show you the true power of the Sith." With a cry, a great wave of lightning shot from the apparition, racing towards the Emperor and Horus. But neither of them showed any fear. With a blinding flash and a deafening boom the lightning struck.

The apparition cackled, "None can match me. Even in death I remain the strongest."

A laugh sounded from the cloud of dust thrown up by the attack, "I must say that that was quite powerful, but as I said, you are nothing." The dust cleared, showing the imposing forms of Horus and the Emperor, both unscathed.

A flash of fear hit the apparition, "Impossible," it chocked.

"For me, nothing is impossible," With a wave of the Emperor's hand, the blood red walls of the chamber were cleansed of corruption, the red turning into the purest gold. With another wave the statues were turned to dust.

"No, no, no," cried Tulak hord, "What are you doing? You defile my tomb."

"I am cleansing it of corruption, you feast on pain and fear and hatred, you torture and kill for fun. Your very existence brings chaos, and I cannot allow that." The Emperor of Mankind closed his eyes, the greatest living psyker in history gathered his considerable might, he focused his mind, this would be his greatest creation since the primarchs. As his power grew, his body began to glow, the room bathed in golden light, Horus himself was forced to look away from the Emperor's majesty.

There was so much power in the room that the floor began to crack under his feet, and the walls began to shake. Chunks of stone began to fall as the Emperor finally opened his eyes, they shone with a piercing white light. And when he spoke his voice shook the earth, "Let this world be cleansed. In the name of the Imperium of Mankind, let the corruption of Chaos be purged. Let the deserts bloom, let the waters flow, let the tombs of the long dead be absorbed into the rock, let the souls lingering here move on and their life force renew the planet."

At the end of his speech a great wave of white light flowed in all directions, the apparition of Tulak Hord burst into flames screaming as it was destroyed.

From the vessels above, several trillion souls watched as the planet below transformed from a forsaken dust world of nothing but dust and sand, to a lush, fertile world that rivalled Terra in its prime. Water flowed across the planet forming oceans, and rivers, and lakes. Plants burst forth from the ground forming forests and meadows. In the greatest act of creation ever seen the planet of Korriban was turned into an exact replica of Terra in the early 20th Century, or M.3.

All across the galaxy the minds of sentients were assailed as the fabric of reality roiled, the force screamed in agony as it was bombarded by the might of the Emperor. For those sensitive to the force the effect was exponential. In the Jedi temple on Courascant several younglings died as their minds liquefied, even the grand master of the Jedi Order, Master Yoda was knocked unconscious by the effect.

Deep within the bowels of the Galactic Senate, Darth Sidious was also indisposed by the wave.

On the planet of Serenno, the former Jedi Count Dooku, now known as Darth Tyrannus, was thrown across the room by the wave.

These three leaders saw the change in different ways; Yoda saw it as an unpredictable variable to be studied and controlled for the good of the Jedi and the Republic; Sidious saw it as a threat to his plan, a threat that he arrogantly thought he could beat; whilst Dooku saw it as the embodiment of what he wanted and believed in, that those with power should protect and guide those without, but not to the extent of the Jedi, and that they should also be prepared to use drastic actions. Across the galaxy those with a similar mindset were compelled to seek out the source and serve him.

His time in this galaxy would change many things about the Emperor's beliefs. He would begin to see the value in assimilating cultures and races, which would lead to a golden age of Mankind and the eventual defeat of the denizens of Chaos. But the journey there would be a challenge, for the Ruinous Powers never leave him alone for long.


	2. Consequences

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of either Star Wars or Warhammer 40k. That honour goes to their respective creators.**

For most beings, life continued normally in the wake of the unexplained shock wave felt by all. But for some life had been altered in an altogether unforeseen way. Jedi across the galaxy were recovering, the clone wars had ground to a halt as the leaders of both sides recuperate. But no ceasefire can last for long and before long both sides were back at it. However there was something different in the way they fought, many of the clones noticed changes in their Jedi generals, with them being more cautious yet at the same time, more violent. Whilst the sentient forces of the Confederacy noticed that Count Dooku seemed to be delegating a lot of his responsibilities. Both forces however were aware that the changes occurred in the aftermath of the shock wave that struck every sentient being.

**The day after the shock wave**

Jedi Council Room

It had taken all day, but finally enough of the council was recovered to organise a council meeting. Present were Grand Master Yoda, Master Windu, Master Shaak Ti, Master Obi Wan, Master Plo Koon and Master Ki Adi Mundi.

"Disturbing, this is," spoke Master Yoda in his bastardised Basic, "In agony is the force. Investigated, the cause must be."

"I agree Master Yoda, but where do we start?" asked Master Windu, "The wave was so powerful that it knocked every single Jedi unconscious, several are still in a coma. Many younglings died. Whatever caused it is dangerous, it was capable of incapacitating the entire order. No one Jedi could deal with this."

Many of the council looked saddened as they remembered the loss of younglings, each one of whom was precious.

Master Mundi spoke up, "I agree that this shock wave is disturbing, but we cannot ignore the war, it is possible that the separatists will take advantage of our weakness."

"It is entirely possible that they are in the same boat as us," spoke a calm, accented voice, "We must remember that the leader of the separatists is Count Dooku. If the Jedi Order was affected, it is very likely that he was as well, along with his Sith master."

"Correct, Obi Wan is. A former Jedi is Dooku, affected he would have been."

"But if that is the case, what should we do? How do we investigate this?" pondered Mace Windu.

"It is fairly obvious where to start, even now I can tell the sector from which the shock wave originated. But I cannot identify the system," said Obi Wan, "I think the best thing to do would be to send someone to the sector with orders to find the source."

"Who can be spared?" asked Master Plo Koon, "Which Jedi can be sent on a mission like this? With so little to go on."

"I don't think it's a case of sending someone, but of contacting the nearest Jedi. If I remember correctly Master Secura is currently leading a fleet towards Felucia. That just so happens to be in the sector in question," answered Obi Wan.

**Count Dooku's personal chamber Serenno - The same day**

A thick, insidious voice spoke from the holocom, "Lord Tyrannus, I assume you felt the disturbance as I did."

"Of course, My Master," replied the cultured voice of Count Dooku, "It threw me across the room, I have only just returned from the med bay."

The hooded figure smiled, "Whatever caused this disturbance is a threat to our plans, it must be found. You will search for it."

"But Master, we stand so close to victory, I cannot abandon the war now."

"Do you question my orders, Darth Tyrannus?" the figure asked threateningly.

"No, of course not Master," Dooku spoke quickly, "I just worry for the war if I am to search for the origin of the disturbance."

"General Grevious shall take command for as long as necessary," there was a pause, "But do ensure that is does not take too long Darth Tyrannus."

"Yes Master, I will be as quick as possible."

"See that you are," said the figure before he vanished.

Count Dooku let out a sigh, the shock wave had affected him more than he had let on. His body ached and he felt exhausted, but for what seemed like the first time in years his mind was clear. Ever since he had left the Order after Qui Gon's death he had lived in a haze, this allowed Sidious to convince him to join the Sith which lead to the current state of the galaxy. But now he could think clearly, and he didn't like the conclusions he reached. He knew now that Sidious was using him and that he would most likely be disposed of like Maul or Ventress.

All he had wanted after leaving the Jedi was to help people, he had felt that the Jedi had forgotten their purpose and become stagnant. Sidious had used that and convinced him to start a war, a fact that Dooku now regretted. He easily connected his newfound freedom with the disturbance in the force and resolved to find the source, if only to understand what had happened.

**Korriban - The Same Day**

"Father, all mechanicus divisions reporting in, the construction efforts are proceeding ahead of schedule. The planet is perfect for a temporary base, it is plentiful in food and even seems to be showing signs of evolution. It is also perfect for cultivating animals from the supply ships in our fleet. The atmosphere seems to increase the fertility of the females, and even seems to speed up gestation of offspring."

The Emperor nodded in acknowledgement, "Soon we'll have a stable base from which to explore our current location, the knowledge gleaned from the tombs has given us a history of this galaxy up until around 4000 years ago, after which it seems this planet was abandoned. It seems that psykers are common in this galaxy, but are nowhere near as powerful as those at home. There also seems to be a multitude of xenos races in this galaxy, with many of them belonging to this, Galactic Republic."

"Xenos? Living with Humans?" asked Horus, "How?"

"It seems that this galaxy doesn't have the same problems as ours, sure there have been wars between planets and species, but it doesn't seem like everything wants to kill you here."

"You sound almost, how do I put this, upset, father. As if you'd like this to have been what our galaxy was like."

"I suppose in a way I do. I won't deny that I believe it is Mankind's right to rule the galaxy, but if xenos races are prepared to accept this and live alongside us I would allow it. But all the xenos in our galaxy seem to be hostile."

"Some more than others," muttered Horus

The Emperor chuckled, "Yes I suppose so, some do seem to love fighting."

The two stood watching the planet below, they watched as ships flew to and from the planet, transporting men and materials vital for the constructions going on on the surface.

From behind them a crew member called, "My lords, an unknown vessel has just arrived in system, there was no warning, I don't know where it came from. It's small though, very small. It reads approximately 350 meters long, and wide, it seems to be some sort of saucer shape."

"Put it on the command screen," ordered Horus. The table in the centre of the bridge lit up as they approached, a hologram appeared showing the vessel. Unluckily for the crew it had appeared right between the two largest ships in the fleet.

The ship was minuscule next to the battleships, but it was a threat in ways that only the Emperor and Horus understood. If it was to escape it would tell the galaxy about them, deriding them of the element of surprise.

"Immobilise it, use one of the smaller turrets."

The holograph showed a bolt shoot from the Bucephelus and strike the vessel, causing a lage explosion.

"Well, if that didn't immobilise it, nothing will," chuckled Horus.

Ignoring his son the Emperor ordered two thunderhawks to be launched to bring the vessel into the main hangar.

Soon the vessel was being dragged towards the hangar, the thunderhawks superior propulsion system easily moving the larger ship.

"Let us go and greet our guests," said the Emperor before leaving the bridge.

* * *

The main hangar of the Bucephelus was massive, capable of holding multiple sword escort ships, it was more than enough for the unidentified vessel. Engines roaring the thunderhawks swooped in, dragging the saucer behind them. The ship got caught in the artificial gravity and slammed into the deck.

Horus winced at the sight, anyone inside would have felt that.

The first signs of life appeared as the landing gear of the vessel deployed, levelling it out. And with a hiss, a ramp began to drop.

* * *

The week just seemed to be getting worse for Hondo Ohnaka, first his hostage had been rescued by kids, then he had been imprisoned by the separatists, then he had been rescued by his former hostage and waas forced to flee, and now his ship was immobile and he had been captured by an unknown force whose ships dwarfed any he had seen before.

But the size of the ships was nothing compared to the size of the men waiting at the bottom of the ramp, they were obviously human, but he had never seen humans of that size before. But he was nothing if not optimistic, he would find some way to talk himself out of this.

"Greetings friends," he said, approaching the figures, "How may Hondo Ohnaka, a humble trader, help you today?"

One of the smaller figures in gold took a step towards him growling, but was stopped by a raised hand of the massive man.

"I take it you are in command here good sir?" Hondo asked charismatically

"Indeed I am," replied the man, his voice deep and powerful, "And you are the captain of this vessel?"

"Yes, Hondo Ohnaka, humble trader and purveyor of goods, at your service. And may I ask your name my friend?"

"I have no name, but you may call me Revelation," the now named Revelation replied.

"A grand name for a man of your stature," Hondo looked around, slightly nervous, "Now may I ask why you fired upon a humble trader such as myself?"

The man's head tilted slightly and Hondo began to squirm under the scrutinisation, "A humble trader you say? A trader of what?"

"Umm, anything, food, medicine, materials, weapons even, whatever you can think of, Hondo Ohnaka can supply it,"

Revelation nodded, "And what if I wanted to purchase something you can't find at just any traders, could you also supply that?"

"Of course, Hondo can supply anything."

Revelation nodded, "I thought so," and with a gesture Hondo found himself staring down the barrels of weapons he had never seen before as several of the smaller giants strode past him, their boots clanging against the deck, "You say you can supply anything Mr Ohnaka, even things that respectable traders cannot," Revelation was interrupted by the bark of weaponry and the screams of the dying, "What I think you are Mr Ohnaka, is a pirate, and quite possibly a slave trader."

Hondo attempted to stutter out an explanation.

"Ah-ah-ah, shush. Now I have been called many things in my life, healer, liberator, benevolent and many other words, I have also ben called a monster, a conqueror, a warmonger and the like. But one thing I've always tried to be consistent in is that everyone should live their lives freely. To this end I have done horrible things, but the end goal is always freedom. You Mr Ohnaka, are one of the things I hate the most, a xenos slave this end, I, the Emperor of Mankind, ruler of the Imperium of Man, Supreme Lord of Terra, sentence you to die."

Hondo continued to stutter and tried to plead for his life, but it was futile. With the bark of a bolt pistol, the life of Hondo Ohnaka was ended.

* * *

Looking up from the corpse, the Emperor watched as the squad of Luna Wolves led an assortment of humans and xenos down the ramp of the ship. There were around fifty of them, thirty of which were human, the other twenty were similar, with two large tails hanging down the back of their head. Most of them were adults but there were are few children amongst them. All of them were female, and all were dressed in rags that barely covered anything.

"My Emperor," spoke the squad leader, Ezekiel Abaddon, "What should we do with them?"

"Escort them to the refugee corridor an set them up with rooms."

Abaddon hesitated, "Even the xenos My Lord?"

"Yes Captain, even the xenos. They may be of some use."

At that phrase many of the xenos flinched and began to whimper.

Revelation raised an eye at the reaction and looked at them as if to say 'explain'.

One of the humans spoke up, "They think you mean to use them for pleasure, My Lord,"

The Emperor snarled, he knew what that meant, "I promise you that if any aboard this ship try something I will deal with them myself," the xenos relaxed slightly, "And what is you name ma'am?"

The human who had answered him looked surprised, "Evelyn Jade My Lord,"

"I would like to speak to you Miss Jade, please remain behind. Captain, you may take the rest to their quarters." Abaddon saluted and led the group of slaves away. "Now Miss Jade, I would like to pick your brain for a while, I wish to know about this galaxy I find myself in. Tell me everything you know."

**The name Revelation for the Emperor does not come from me. All credit for that name goes to Jayfiction19, author of Imperium Ascendant.**


	3. Realisations

The Emperor of Mankind stood on the Bridge of the Bucephelus, staring at the map before him, Miss Evelyn Jade stood to his left, his son Horus to his right.

"And for the past five years the galaxy has been at war, the war between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists who wish to leave the Republic," Evelyn finished the explanation of the galaxy, she had been speaking for five hours almost non-stop and her voice was Hoarse.

The last five hours had been enlightening for the forces of the Imperium, the galaxy they were in had empires as old as theirs that hadn't had anywhere near the number of problems they did. There was no state of constant war against the alien, and the machinations of Chaos seemed to be limited to the beings known as the Sith, who were believed extinct before their return in the last twenty years. But the Emperor knew that that would soon change, wherever he was the Ruinous Powers endeavoured to be.

Horus turned to look at him, "Father, what is our plan? How do we get back home?"

"I am unsure my son," the Emperor replied, "We are a long way from home, and I still do not know how to ensure we return. The light of the astronomican is so far away that it is almost gone. As a result it cannot be used to guide us home. However we are in luck, the terraforming of the planet below and the power I used was sufficient to create a second, natural astronomican. We can use that and this map to travel this galaxy, and hopefully, I can find a way to link this galaxy to our own to allow us to return home."

"But what would that take father? How would we even achieve that?"

"It can be done, but I will need help. As I said earlier, this galaxy is rich in psykers, but they seem to be divided into two groups. If we can convince some of these to help us then I may be able to get us home. We already have one who may be willing."

"Do we father?"

The Emperor turned to look at Evelyn, "Yes my son, we do."

Evelyn stared at them curiously, "What do you mean my Lord?"

"You my dear miss Jade, are a psyker."

"A psyker? What's a psyker?"

"They are those capable of using powers of the warp, capable of feats which many would consider magic, I believe you referred to a power known here as the Force. This Force of which you speak is but a minor part of the immaterium, those who use it are psykers."

"You mean, I'm force-sensitive? I could have been a Jedi?" Evelyn stumbled and fell to the floor in shock, "But why wasn't I found? I remember seeing the Jedi often back home. Why didn't one of them notice me."

"You my dear have a remarkable capacity to shield yourself. The warp just seems to flow by you to the average psyker, but I am no average psyker. It's also part of the reason you were drawn to me and spoke up down in the hangar. I believe my arrival has caused a disturbance felt by all psykers. To my regret some may have died, unable to cope with the backlash. There will undoubtedly be many however, who, like you, are drawn to me and will seek me out. Those who do are the future, for they are safe from many of the dangers of the warp."

"I though I felt something yesterday, and I knew that something good would happen to me today. I've always had good instincts and seemed to be able to sense danger and those who were untrustworthy. But I thought it was a result of my life and upbringing," she looked up at the Emperor, "Teach me."

The Emperor smiled, "Of course. But first, I wish to explore."

* * *

With advice from both Horus and Evelyn, the Emperor transferred his flag from the Bucephelus, to the Everest, a Firestorm Class Frigate.

During the transfer Evelyn was gobsmacked, she had been told that this was one of the smallest ships in the fleet, but it was till large than almost anything fielded by either the Republic or the Separatists. It was a long vessel, similar to the Venator class Star Destroyer, but had an armoured prow with a giant laser slung underneath. The broadsides bristled with weapons, both projectile and energy, and there was a giant cannon turret on the top. This ship alone would be capable of wiping out an entire Republic fleet.

The captain of the Everest had been killed in the warp transition, so for the duration of the Emperor's stay Lieutenant Delia Kasr was in command and had been promoted to captain, "My Emperor, what are your orders?"

The Emperor stood silently at the main window, reaching into the warp for any premonition of where to go. He span about and walked to the helm, he inputted a heading and destination, using Korriban as the epicentre, "Let's go Captain."

"All hands prepare for warp transition," Captain Delia announced.

The ship began to shake beneath them, and the groan of the warp engines powering up grew louder and louder.

"Gellar fields active. Warp transition in 3...2...1...Mark."

Outside the ship a rip in space appeared, purple light flooding the bridge as the doorway to the immaterium opened.

"What the hell is that?" screamed Evelyn Jade.

"Exactly that miss Jade," said Horus, "Hell."

The frigate leapt into the tear and with a flash was gone.

* * *

**Republic battleship Ryloth - en route to Felucia**

"Of course masters, I the fleet is in orbit above Felucia, I'll send out search parties for the source of this disturbance. Master Secura out."

Aayla Secura sighed, as if her life wasn't stressful enough. She ran a hand down her lekku as she pondered the new development. She too had felt the disturbance, but for some reason it didn't disturb her as it evidently did the council, and she couldn't help but wonder why. For some reason the disturbance relaxed her and filled her with hope. It had also made the force seem clearer to her and she knew that something dangerous was waiting for her on felucia but she couldn't tell what.

Turning she left the bridge and headed for her private quarters. Upon arriving she lay her lightsaber on the desk and looked out of the view port at the blue tunnel of hyperspace. The future is always in motion master Yoda said, but she felt that whatever was approaching was something that could not be avoided, even with the intervention of this new factor. Diving into the depths of the force, Aayla sought peace in an attempt to stem her worries and troubles. What she found brought both peace and more worries. A violent light was moving through the force, it drew her towards it as moths to a flame and she couldn't bring herself to ignore it.

Hesitantly she reached out towards it, on guard in case it was a temptation of the dark side. As she touched the light she was blasted across the room. The light had been so powerful, it was more powerful than anything she had sensed before, it was even more powerful than the feeling of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. But somehow, she knew that it wasn't a danger. Reaching out again, she was shocked, the light had cleared the fog of the dark side from her mind. She now sensed the location of the Sith Master, they were on Coruscant. But that wasn't the most important thing on her mind, the light had reinforced her force powers on had given her a glimpse of what was to come. She saw herself gunned down by her on men on the planet of Felucia, at the same time she saw that happening all across the galaxy. She saw her friend Mastet Shaak Ti swarmed by clones in her quarters on Kamino, being killed violently without a chance to defend herself. She knew she should warn someone but the disturbing images caused too much grief and she collapsed to the floor crying.

* * *

**Kamino - Shaak Ti's private quarters**

Despite being a Jedi Master Shaak Ti was often exhausted when she returned to her quarters for the night, and most of the time she went straight to sleep. Today however would be different and would change her future.

When she arrived she was surprised to see a light on her personal, private holocom blinking, signalling an incoming call. Accepting the call she was even more surprised to see her friend and fellow master Aayla Secura, what was even more surprising was the obvious tear tracks streaking down her face, "Aayla, what's wrong?"

"Shaak, hic, please listen to me and listen well. You are in danger, we all are," Aalya broke down into sobs.

"What do you mean?"

Composing herself, Aayla carried on, "Danger, grave danger. Beware the clones Shaak, beware the clones."

"Aayla please explain, why should I beware the clones."

"There's no easy way for me too say this but they're going to turn on us, they'll kill us Shaak, all of us. From masters to the younglings the Jedi will be killed."

"What? That's unlikely, why would you even think that?"

"A vision Shaak, the force is clear to me and I had a vision of the clones killing us."

"A vision? But the force has been clouded for years, why would you get a vision now?"

"The disturbance Shaak, remember the disturbance yesterday? It cleared the fog of the dark side from my mind."

"But how, what do you mean?"

"There's a new player in the game, in the force, there's a light..."

"A bright light that draws you towards it."

Aayla looked up surprised, "So you've seen it too."

"Yes I have, but I've been too busy to investigate it."

"Do it now, find it in the force and touch it."

"What? Why?"

"Trust me Shaak, do it."

Trusting her friend, Shaak ti reached into the force, she quickly found the light and approached it. As it did Aayla, it drew her in. Touching it she too was flung across the room.

Pain

Shock

Horror

Loss

Death

'Don't do it Anakin'

'You were my Brother Anakin. I loved you.'

With a gasp Shaak Ti sat straight up, chest heaving.

"Shaak, Shaak, are you ok?"

She could hear her friend calling for her, but what had just seen was too much for her and she broke down in tears.

* * *

"It was horrible, Aayla, absolutely horrible."

"I know Shaak, I know."

After recovering, Shaak Ti had sat down facing the holocom, "It was Skywalker."

"What, Skywalker, what does Skywalker have to do with it?"

"It was him Aayla, I saw him leading the clones on the Jedi Temple, he killed the younglings. The Temple burned because of him. He joined the Sith."

That revelation silenced Aayla Secura, who thought about it logically. Strangely enough she could see Skywalker turning to the dark side. It was no secret that he struggled with the Jedi code, especially attachment, and that he had constant disagreements with many of the masters. But the Skywalker she knew always cared about people, so for him to kill younglings seemed a bit far, but she trusted her friend.

"So then," she said quietly, "What do we do?"

"Well, first I have to find a way to leave Kamino. Alone."

"It shouldn't be too hard, with everything that's happened recently the council shouldn't notice you leaving. And once you are off planet you can jump and meet up with me."

"But aren't you commanding a fleet at the moment, heading for Felucia?"

"I am, but it's easier for us to survive if we are together. Plus, I get the feeling that something big is coming, but it doesn't seem dangerous."

"I have the same feeling, and it seems to be somewhere near you."

"Yes, this also happens to be near the source of the disturbance yesterday. I recently received orders to investigate once the fleet is preparing to invade Felucia."

"That seems awful strange timing, the disturbance yesterday, followed by our visions today, and then the presence in the force moving towards you."

"I know, and that bothers me too. But if this thing can help us then we'll have to accept the danger."

"Agreed. When should I leave?"

"As soon as possible, now if you can."

"I suppose it's night now, I could get to the hangar easily, but getting out of the atmosphere will be difficult."

"I hate to say this because we are still unsure what it is, but use the presence. When I touched it I felt a burst of power fill me, if you maybe use some of that you could hide yourself from light control."

"But how can the force hide a physical object?"

"I don't know, but for some reason I know you can do it. Don't ask me to explain, I just know."

"Understood, Shaak Ti out. I'll see you soon."

"Good luck Shaak, good luck."

As the holocom powered down the room became dark. Knowing what she had to do, Shaak Ti steeled herself and left the room, blanketing herself in the force.

* * *

Things were peaceful aboard the Everest, the information provided to them by Evelyn told them that despite being more technologically advanced in some areas, the forces of this galaxy would prove little danger to the forces of the Imperium. As such, those who could relax were. The only people not relaxing were the Emperor and Horus, both of whom knew that something bad would inevitably happen. As such, both were training hard, and convinced their men to as well.

Horus faced off against his father, he knew victory was unlikely, but the longer he lasted the better. Swinging his power sword as hard as he could, Horus tried desperately to disarm his father, but the flaming sword remained steady in his father's hands. Taking a step back, Horus leapt into the air as much as he could, to bring his sword down on his father, but the Emperor span away, and using Horus' lack of balance, ripped the sword from his son's hands.

"You are getting better my son, that bout lasted three hours longer than the last one," the Emperor chuckled.

"That it did father, but you still beat me."

"Ahhh my son you forget, I am thousands of years older and have more experience."

"No need to remind us how old you are father, you don't look a day over five thousand."

"Cheeky brat, I should put you over my knee."

Before Horus could reply the Captain's voice came over the tannoy, "My Lords, warp transition in 5 minutes."

"Understood Captain, we'll be there now."

Despite the size of the ship, the journey to the bridge took only two minutes and by the time they arrived it was a bustle of activity as servitors and crewmen prepared for warp transition.

The seconds counted down slowly, as they did the Emperor thought that this had been a fairly quiet and safe trip through a usually violent and tumultuos warp.

"Transition in 3...2...1...Now,"

A purple tear opened before them and the ship was spat out into realspace.

"Where are we captain?" asked the Emperor calmly.

"Initial scans and correlation with the pirate's map indicate the Felucia system My Lord," Captain Delia answered, "One planet inhabited by several sentient and non-sentient species, orbited by eight moons. No sign of any space presence at the moment, but long range scans indicate two large blips approaching, most likely battle fleets."

"Understood, move us to the asteroid field and power down all non essential systems. Our objective isn't here yet."

"Yes My Lord,"

The engines flared as the sixteen hundred metre long ship moved deep into the asteroid field, turned to face the planet, before powering down, looking to most like an extremely large asteroid.

In the quiet and dark, the Imperium of Man waited for its first major encounter with the locals.

* * *

It had taken her a while, but Aalya Secura had finally managed to control her fear and face the clones she knew would soon try to kill her. She had made her way to the bridge, careful to remain composed, but she was still apprehensive when facing them.

"Nice to see you General," came a voice, despite sounding the same as every other clone, Aayla knew it belonged to one she though she could trust with anything.

"Sorry about that Commander Bly, I had some meditating to do after receiving the new orders from the council."

"Understood General, no worries. We are now on final approach to Felucia."

"Are all units ready? We may face heavy resistance."

"Yes General, all fighters standing by, and all weapons armed and shields up."

Master Secura nodded, "How long until arrival?"

"Ten minutes General," came the reply from the crew pit.

The minutes ticked by slowly, tension growing as ten minutes approached.

"Arrival soon General,"

"Upon arrival I want all fighters launched, if an enemy fleet is there target the droid control ships first, all capital ships target the cruisers and frigates, escort vessels concentrate on destroying the enemy fighters. I will lead the fighters towards the control ships. You have your orders."

"Sir yes sir,"

* * *

From the cockpit of her fighter, Aayla Secura barely felt as the ship left hyperspace, but it was soon obvious from the sounds of laser impacts on the shields, "All fighters launch."

She was pushed back into her seat by the acceleration as her ship raced from the hangar and out into the blackness of space. The battle for Felucia had begun.

* * *

Deep within the force, Darth Sidious searched desperately for the source of the disturbance, he scoured in the galaxy in an instant but found nothing. This angered him greatly as nothing should be beyond his perception. If this disturbance could hid from him then it could be a threat to his plans. Refusing to give up her searched again and again, finding nothing.

With a cry of rage Sidious unleashed a barrage of force lightning at the walls of his chambers, the anger was so great that his control over the fog in the force almost slipped. As such, he didn't notice that when he dove back into the force he was no longer alone. He didn't notice the four beings that followed his every move, subtly guiding him, nurturing his hatred and anger, enthusiastically cultivating the chaos he would sow.

As Sidious continued his search, the Ruinous Powers laughed. Their original plan of turning Horus against the Emperor had been derailed, but this could prove to be so much better.


End file.
